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The Patrols

Patrol 09 - 03.11.1940-06.12.1940

03.11.1940 U-47 departs dock at Lorient. In addition to its regular crew, U-47 also had on board a journalist, Wolfgang Frank, whose job it was to provide an inside view of life on a submarine for enthusiastic readers back home in Germany.

08.11.1940 Steam freighter Gonçalo Velho (Portugal, 1,595 grt) attacked by deck gunfire, damaged. The captain of the Velho is invited aboard U-47, and after satisfying Prien that his vessel is neutral, is allowed to continue. Time of first attack, 1347 hours. Location 52°30N/17°30W.

02.12.1940 Attack on convoy HX-90, en route from Halifax/New York to Liverpool accompanied by U-43, U-52, U-94, U-95, U-99 and U-101. Steam passenger/cargo ship Ville d'Arlon (Belgium, 7,555 grt), attacked by torpedo, sunk. Time of first attack, 0409 hours. Location unspecified (approx. 55°40N/19°00W), North Atlantic. Prien identifies this ship as a steamer of the Beaver class, of over 10,000 tons. He thinks it is probably the Beaverburn. Later they sight another U-boat attacking this convoy.

02.12.1940 Motor tanker Conch (United Kingdom, 8,376 grt), part of convoy HX-90, attacked by torpedo, damaged. Time of first attack, 0525 hours. Location 55°40N/19°00W. After this first successful strike, The now stationary Conch was subsequently hit by a torpedo from Gerd Schreiber's U-95 before being finished off by a torpedo from Otto Kretschmer's U-99.

*During the attack on HX-90, U-47 also scored five hits on a straggler, possibly the steam freighter Penrose (United Kingdom, 4,393grt), with the vessel being damaged (?). Other reports have had U-47 attack and damage the British steamer Dunsley (3,862grt), also part of HX-90.

06.12.1940 U-47 returns to dock at Lorient.

Total days at sea: 34Enemy vessels sunk: 1Total tonnage: 7,555 grtTotal days in port: 76